Electrical connector hood assembly



P 4 R. J. NOSCHESE ETAL 3,148,923

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HOOD ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 25, 1961 3.50 5/ 357 3493 30a INVENTORS.

ROCCO JAMES IVOJCl/ESE F/ 6' 4 'DW/MJ sm/wruw Mama/val! United StatesPatent 3,148,928 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HOOD ASSEMBLY Rocco J. Noschese,Rowayton, and Edward S. Skowrenski, Trumbull, Conn, assignors to BurndyCorporation, a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 25, 1961, Ser. No.141,252 3 Claims. (Cl. 339103) This invention relates to electricalconnectors, and particularly to a hood and cable clamp formulti-contact, block type connectors.

The connectors customarily comprise a pair of rectangular solid blockseach having a plurality of bores therethrough from their front to rearfaces, in which contacts are secured. The contacts are adapted to matewhen the blocks are brought together with their front faces abutting.The pair of blocks may be held together by the friction of the matedcontacts, which may be mating pins and sockets, and by jack screws, orby clips. Conductors are electrically and mechanically connected to thecontacts, and these conductors, or the contacts and the conductors,extend from the rear faces of the connector blocks. It is customary toprovide an enclosure or hood for the rear of each block to protect theextending contacts and conductors; and to provide a cable clamp tosecure the conductors to the hood at their exit from the hood.

The prior art hoods have generally been box-like affairs having only oneopen face which required that all contacts be inserted into the block,and conductors threaded through the cable clamp and connected to thecontact before the hood was secured to the block. Other prior art hoodshave had a side face which was closed by a removable panel. These stillrequired the conductors to be threaded through the cable clamp, andafforded only a very restricted working space at the rear face of theblock. There was no free access to the entire rear face of the block,and particularly not an access affording free movement coaxial with thecontacts.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a connectorhood which can be conveniently installed or removed either before orafter the contacts and conductors have been installed.

Another object is to provide a hood which, while mounted, can be openedto permit free access to the entire rear face of the block andparticularly permit extended movement along a path coaxial with thecontacts.

A still further object is to provide a cable clamp which can be fittedabout previously installed conductors without their being threadedtherethrough.

A further object is to provide a hood which consists substantially oftwo identical halves.

A feature of this invention is a two piece hood, each half of which ispivotally mounted to the connector block.

These and other objects and features of this invention will become moreapparent by reference to the following description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a connector block and hood assembly embodyingthis invention;

FIG. 2 is an edge view of the assembly of FIG. 1, showing in phantomlines the hood in its open relationship;

FIG. 3 is a top view of another embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a detail of a modification of FIG. 2.

Turning now to FIGS. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the assemblycomprises a connector block 1, two identical pivot blocks 3 and 5; andtwo identical hood halves 7 and 9. The connector block has a pluralityof bores 11 therethrough from its front to rear faces 13 and 15. A

3,148,928 Patented Sept. 15, 1964 contact 17 may be secured in each boreas shown, for example, in the Dupre patent US. 2,981,924 (a singleexemplary pin contact is shown in FIG. 1), a portion of the contact,e.g., a pin 19, extends from the front face of the block to engage amating contact, in a mating block, not shown. A conductor 21 isconnected to the rear portion of the contact, as by crimping, and therear portion and/ or the conductor alone extends from the rear face ofthe block.

The connector block 1 is provided at each end of the block with threemounting holes 21, 23 and 25 therethrough from its front to rear face.An alignment pin may be secured in any of these holes. In FIGS. 1 and 2a male alignment pin 27 is shown in the middle hole 23 at one end, and afemale alignment pin 29 is shown in the middle hole at the other end.

The pivot blocks 3 and 5 are mounted on the stepped rear face of theblock over each set of mounting holes. Each block is substantially arectangular solid with a depressed center portion having a hole 31therethrough which is aligned with the middle hole 23. The middle hole23 is provided with a constriction 32 and the alignment pin 27 may beprovided with a pin aligning portion 27a, a shoulder 33, a threadedshank 35 and a nut 37. The pin is disposed in both the connector blockhole 23 and the pivot block hole 31 and holds the blocks together.

A cylindrical boss 39 and 41 may be provided adjacent each end of thepivot block, parallel to hole 31 to extend into the other of theconnector block mounting holes to preclude the pivot block frompivotingaround the alignment pin 27. Another cylindrical boss 43 and 45 isprovided at each end of the pivot block normal to hole 31 to serve aspivot points for the identical hood halves 7 and 9.

Each hood half may be bent up from a sheet of metal to include a mainwall portion 47, two end wall portions 49 and 51, a neck portion 53, anda cable clamp portion 55. A tab 57 and 59 depends from each end wall. Ahole is formed in each tab to adapt the tab to be snapped onto a pivotboss on one of the pivot blocks. Each hood half is adapted to pivot fromthe closed position shown in solid lines in FIG. 2, to the open positionshown in phantom lines. A skirt 61 depends from the main wall to coverthe joint between the connector block and the hood. In the embodimentshown in FIG. 2, the included angle between the open hood halves,despite the skirts abutting the block, is a minimum of 65".

When the hood is closed, the end walls of each half overlap. End wall 49may be made slightly wider than end wall 51. A tab 63 may project fromeach neck portion, to constrict the conductors to the central portion ofthe cable clamp, away from the clamp screws 65 and 67.

A tab 69 may project from each end wall which overlaps the tab 63 fromthe neck of the other half and serves to reinforce the tab 63 againstoutward deflection. A threaded hole is provided at the ends of eachcable clamp to receive the clamp screws 65 and 67.

Both screws are customarily carried by the same half, although one screwmay be mounted in each half if desired. Engaging and tightening thescrew locks the hood halves together and clamps the conductors in placein the cable clamp.

Another embodiment of the hood is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In thisembodiment a pivot block 303 having a single mounting hole 331 and asingle pivot boss 339 is secured to each middle connector block mountinghole as by alignment pins 327 and 329. Each hood half 307 may be bent upfrom a sheet of metal to include a main wall 0 portion 347, two end wallportions 349 and 351, two

3 holes 354- and 356. A wraparound skirt 361 depends from the main Wallto cover the joint between the connector block and the hood, andterminates at each end in a tab 357 and 359 which includes a holeadapted to snap into pivot bosses 343 and 345.

The connectors shown in FIG. 1 through 4 are secured to their matingcontacts solely by friction between the contact and alignment pin andsocket interfriction. If it is desired to have a positive coupling, thenthe modification of FIG. 5 may be used. Here holes 539 and 541 areprovided in lieu of bosses 39 and 41, and a pair of nuts 501 and bolts592 are used to secure the pivot block 503 to the connector block. Acombination jack and alignment screw 527 is used in lieu of thealignment pin 27. The screw shown has a pin alignment portion 527a whichis threaded to mate with a socket alignment portion on the matingconnector, not shown, a shoulder 533, a shank 535 having a neck 535a anda hand grip portion 536 mounted to the shank by a set screw 535a. AC-spring" 53% is snapped into neck 535a to lock the pivot block to theconnector block. A similar substitution of a jack screw may be made inthe hood assembly of FIGS. 3 and 4 for the alignment pins 327 and 32%.Of course the pivot block should not be clamped tightly to the contactblock but shall have a slight looseness as is required to permit thejack screw to turn freely. The pivot block will be precluded fromrotating about the axis of the jack screw by the pair of hoods which aresnapped onto the pivot block bosses 339.

Although the embodiments herein illustrated have both utilized a pivotblock which is most conveniently made by die casting, the same pivotingaction can be accomplished by making the pivot block out of sheet metalor wire. In such a case the pivot block could be formed with holes orloops into which bent over tabs, similar to chain link interlocking,could be fitted for pivotal action.

The invention has thus been described but it is desired to be understoodthat it is not confined to the particular forms or usages shown anddescribed, the same being merely illustrative, and that the inventionmay be carried out in other ways without departing from the spirit ofthe invention and, therefore, the right is broadly claimed to employ allequivalent instrumentalities coming within the scope of the appendentclaims, and by means of which objects of this invention are attained andnew results accomplished, as it is obvious that the particularembodiments herein shown and described are only some of the many thatcan be employed to obtain these objects and accomplish these results.

We claim:

1. A hood assembly including a connector body member having conductorsextending therefrom and a pair of hood-assembly mounting holes extendingtherethrough; a pair of spaced apart pivot block members each having asecuring bore therethrough disposed in coaxial alignment with one ofsaid mounting holes; a pair of mating-connector alignment members eachextending through one of said mounting holes and the correspondingsecuring bore, each alignment member being adapted to axially engage amating connector in fixed position relative thereto; means on eachalignment member for releasably securing the corresponding one of saidpivot blocks to said connector body member; means, including a pair ofwall members associated with said body member, forming an enclosure andan exit passageway for the said conductors between said pivot blockmembers; means on said wall members for clamping them together aboutconductors disposed in said exit passageway; at least one of said wallmembers being pivotally mounted to each of said pivot blocks about anaxis extending between said blocks such that the said one wall membermay be pivoted away from the other wall member to open said enclosureand said exit passageway.

2. The hood assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of said alignmentmembers comprises a jack screw, rotatably disposed in one of saidsecuring bores and the corresponding mounting hole, which includes adriving-force receiving portion at one end thereof and a threadedportion at the other end thereof for threadedly engaging a matingconnector.

3. The hood assembly of claim 1 wherein: each of said pivot blockmembers includes a pair of projecting pivot bosses positioned insubstantially parallel, transversely spaced apart relationship, eachboss on one of said block members being axially aligned with acorresponding boss on the other of said block members; and each of saidwall members includes a pair of axially aligned pivot holes each adaptedto pivotally receive one of said projecting bosses on each of said pivotblock members to pivotally couple said wall members to said connectorbody member through said pivot block members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,629,036 Wohl et al May 17, 1927 2,659,872 Gilbert Nov. 17, 19532,662,220 Saari Dec. 8, 1953 2,701,866 Chapman Feb. 8, 1955

1. A HOOD ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A CONNECTOR BODY MEMBER HAVING CONDUCTORSEXTENDING THEREFROM AND A PAIR OF HOOD-ASSEMBLY MOUNTING HOLES EXTENDINGTHERETHROUGH; A PAIR OF SPACED APART PIVOT BLOCK MEMBERS EACH HAVING ASECURING BORE THERETHROUGH DISPOSED IN COAXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH ONE OFSAID MOUNTING HOLES; A PAIR OF MATING-CONNECTOR ALIGNMENT MEMBERS EACHEXTENDING THROUGH ONE OF SAID MOUNTING HOLES AND THE CORRESPONDINGSECURING BORE, EACH ALIGNMENT MEMBER BEING ADAPTED TO AXIALLY ENGAGE AMATING CONNECTOR IN FIXED POSITION RELATIVE THERETO; MEANS ON EACHALIGNMENT MEMBER FOR RELEASABLY SECURING THE CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAIDPIVOT BLOCKS TO SAID CONNECTOR BODY MEMBER; MEANS, INCLUDING A PAIR OFWALL MEMBERS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID BODY MEMBER, FORMING AN ENCLOSURE ANDAN EXIT PASSAGEWAY FOR THE SAID CONDUCTORS BETWEEN SAID PIVOT BLOCKMEMBERS; MEANS ON SAID WALL MEMBERS FOR CLAMPING THEM TOGETHER ABOUTCONDUCTORS DISPOSED IN SAID EXIT PASSAGEWAY; AT LEAST ONE OF SAID WALLMEMBERS BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED TO EACH OF SAID PIVOT BLOCKS ABOUT ANAXIS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID BLOCKS SUCH THAT THE SAID ONE WALL MEMBERMAY BE PIVOTED AWAY FROM THE OTHER WALL MEMBER TO OPEN SAID ENCLOSUREAND SAID EXIT PASSAGEWAY.